


The Space Between Words

by Skyepilot



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Aliens, Angst, Comfort, Coulson hates Ward, Coulson is Skye's home, F/M, First Kiss, GH-325, Skye hates Ward, Skye is Coulson's home
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-17
Updated: 2014-11-17
Packaged: 2018-02-25 17:45:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2630690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyepilot/pseuds/Skyepilot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post 02x07 feels.  Just wanted to write something that felt canon-y and ANGSTY.  </p><p>Coulson hating Ward's attentions to Skye, Coulson getting defensive about Skye's father taking her, Coulson's little alien homing beacon interfering with his notions of home all point to one thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Space Between Words

He knew he'd find her here.

Focusing on the target, controlled breathing, the neat circle of bullets at the heart and head.

When he'd arrived in his office that morning, there was her computer with Bakshi's phone plugged into it, and a still warm cup of coffee at hand.

The sound of a needle skipping had made him walk to the record player and turn it off with a click.

Sitting down behind his desk, he waited patiently for a few minutes before he got bored and stood up.

Walking back over to her computer, he look at the hack she was running. It seemed finished.

Curious, he pressed down on the pad on the phone and looked at the call log.

There was an unlisted number, about fifteen minutes old.

Then he'd quickly made his way back downstairs.

"Who was it?" he asked, already having guessed, coming to stand beside her when she was done with her round.

"Ward," she said flatly, loading the weapon again.

He winced at her tone. He should've thought of that. Should've known better when they took Bakshi in.  
  
There was always an angle. And it was always going to be aimed at Skye, even indirectly.

Lesson learned. But, he was getting tired of these kinds of lessons.

"What did he want?" Coulson asked, trying to hide his own frustration.

"To talk to me," she said, the traces of annoyance lingering around the edges of her own voice. "He threatened the team."

It was a brave face, she looked calm and collected enough, but ever since he'd started talking to her, her hands were getting stuck at their task.

She was shaken.

"Put that down for a moment," he asked, looking at the gun.

She put it down and turned to stare back at him, standing there with his hands in his pockets.

"What did he say to you?"

"He said he promised Bakshi a face-to-face with you," she said, looking down at her hands. "But, that it wasn't quite what he'd had in mind. Like, the whole thing was a joke," she said slowly.

"I see," he said. "Anything else?"

"He talked about the others," she said, meeting his eyes. "He said that you could do better."

The last twenty four hours had been tremendously hard on them, and he felt relief, but she had been carrying a lot. For both of them.  She still was.

"Better would've been never letting him out of here alive," Coulson said, his jaw twitching.

Skye's eyes got big for a moment, like she might cry.

"Did he threaten you?" Coulson asked.

"He promised he would see me soon," she said quietly, pressing her lips together.

Coulson took a step towards her, touched her arm.

"He _is not_ going to see you soon," he said, his voice shaking slightly.

She stared up at him, watching his eyes. They had talked about Ward, but mostly in sympathy to what he'd asked her to do. With guilt and regrets. This was something new.

"Probably not," she said, nodding. "He said he had a few personal matters to attend to first."

"Skye," he began.

"What?" she asked, turning back towards the target.

"I just want to be ready when we meet again."

 

***

  
Later she reappeared in his office, changed out of her sweats and t-shirt and into one of her button downs and jeans.

She looked like she'd taken a shower, her hair still a little damp.

Nodding to him as she entered the office, she went and sat down in front of her computer, staring at the phone for just a moment before opening the data logs she'd downloaded.

He watched her from his desk, trying to pick up any details as to her mood.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked sarcastically, turning around, arm on the back of her chair.

He tried a smile. Fail. "Was it something I didn't say?" he asked, trying humor.

"I can feel your eyes on the back of my head," she said.

Sighing, he stood up from his desk and walked around to where she was, sitting in the chair next to her.

"What do you need, right now?" he asked.

The question was almost too much for her in the moment, her expression changed from irritated to soft in the span of a second.

She looked over his face, wondering what she was supposed to do with such a loaded thing.

It wasn't a question of his gratitude, he'd already taken her aside to apologize, not just for the last 48 hours, but for everything before. Now that he wasn't fighting himself, he was able to turn his attention on her.

"I don't know," she said, after a few moments. "I can't think clearly."

She started to get up.

"Skye," he said, standing with her, a light touch on her shoulder as she stopped and put her hands in her face, her back to him.

"I will do everything in my power to stop Ward."

"I know that," she said, turning around to him. "Only, I'm an alien, and there's this city, and you have answers, but I don't. There are pieces and parts to this that are out of my control and they want something from me," she said, stepping closer to him. " _What is it?_ "

"I don't know," he said, after a moment. "We don't have answers right now, but we will. We're already closer to that than ever before."

"What if I don't want to know?" she asked.

He stared back at her kindly, dissipating the anger in her expression. They both knew the answer, whether they liked it or not.

"I'll have Koenig review security again," he offered. "Just to make sure we're as tight as we can be."

"Okay," she said, nodding at him. "When Raina said she wanted to take me to my father...," she started.

"That's not happening, either," he interjected. "Not unless it's what you want."

"My point is, we need that Obelisk," she said. "The symbols you were carving and the writing on the Obelisk are the same."

"I don't care," he said, tension in his voice.

"We'll find another way."

 

***

  
She was standing at the holoview of the city when he found her.

"Hard not to stare?" she asked, her eyes looking up to meet his across the other side of the image.

Coulson didn't answer, but gave her a bit of a knowing smile.

He walked around the perimeter of the glowing city and stopped at her side.

"How long have you been at it?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said. "I was trying to figure out how the layout would fit into terrain. Mountains?"

"Maybe somewhere in the Hunan province?"

Skye smiled at him. "Sure. Why not? I've been looking at city planning in ancient cultures, do you know that most cities were built around religious rites?"

"Sacrifice. Atonement," he said. "Our nature in a nutshell."

She stared back at him. "The alien in the Guest House. Do you think that's what he was looking for?"

"No," Coulson said, concentrating for a moment, recalling as he stared at the features in front of him. "He was looking for home."

He turned back to her to see her staring at him. The intensity of it took him off guard for a moment, then the realization hit him.

Not just what she must be feeling, but why he still felt unsettled, even after the compulsion to carve had left. He had felt the distance, too, but he had given it other names and other excuses.

He walked away for a moment and turned off the hologram.

Standing in the center of the room, she fidgeted with her hands as he crossed back towards her, the click of his shoes echoing in the room.

"I...," he started to talk, couldn't find words, instead he reached a hand out, running his fingers along the side of her face as her lips parted letting her breathe again.  Her hand was on his wrist as she drew in closer to him, hesitating under his gaze.  He closed his eyes at the feel of her cheek grazing his and then the heat of her mouth against his own.  It was just a brief kiss, and his arms went around her, hugging her to him as he kissed her temple, then her forehead.

"It's late," she said, slowly pulling away, her hands running down his arms. "We should probably..."

"Okay," he answered quietly.

She nodded and turned away to walk towards the desk to collect her things.

"Skye," he said, as she stopped to turn towards him, hearing the waivering in his voice.

"I need you."

"That's pretty obvious, sir," she said, smiling over her shoulder at him.

He smiled in reply.

Then she turned away and walked past into the hall as he watched.

 


End file.
